Seahawks Home Field Advantage

The Seattle Seahawks are known for having a tremendous home field advantage. The crowd noise can be extremely disruptive for an opposing offense. When the Giants played at Qwest field in 2005, they were flagged for 11 false start penalties.

This season, the Seahawks are 3-0 at home and 1-3 on the road. This statistic was alarming to me - can a team really play that much better at home? Did the Seahawks actually play better or did their home field intangible plan an effect on the outcome? I decided to take a deeper look at the Seahawks home and away splits.

Seahawks Away Statistics (4 Games)

Record: 1-3

Score: 104-43 (-61)

First Downs: 75-62 (-13)

Total Yards: 1567-1111 (-456)

Seahawks Home Statistics (3 Games)

Record: 3-0

Score: 80-36 (+44)

First Downs: 54-43 (-11)

Total Yards: 1008-815 (-193)

According to the first down and total yard stats, the Seahawks are being out played on the road and at home. However, it is evident that they have found a way to win at home, outscoring opponents 80-36, despite being out gained andlosing the first down battle. So, exactly how are they winning their home games?

Home Statistics (3 games)

Turnover Differential: +8

Special Teams TDs: 2

Defensive TDs: 1

I think we found the answer. The Seahawks have had a lot of good fortune in their home games. It appears that the crowd noise gives this team a huge edge. The noise makes communication difficult for the offense and forces them to rely on a silent count. This means more false start penalties and the inability to change the play at the line of scrimmage, thus leading to turnovers. Former Seahawk Deon Grant agreed that "Seattle's noise is just on a whole different level."

What does this mean for the Giants?

This season, the Giants have had a habit of turning the ball over. They have 21 total turnovers -2nd worst in the league. Statistically the Giants are the better team and Las Vegas expects them to win making them 7 point favorites. But, the Seahawks home field advantage can't be ignored. In order to win, the G-Men must limit the penalties and turnovers. Tom Coughlin put it best saying the Giants must have "poise in the noise."